Thursday, February 28, 2008

Here’s a band that was truly in it for the tunes. I certainly can’t say that about everyone I’ve listened to, even the ones I’ve graced on this webpage.Hailing from Manhattan (Kansas that is) Ultimate Fakebook could have easily been pigeonholed as pop-punk, but they came from a far different place than yammering juveniles like Sum 41 and Good Charlotte. This exemplary trio also wisely avoided being circulated into the ersatz emo clusterfuck that was just about to break nationally.

Unfortunately, as high caliber as they were, Ultimate Fakebook never did break nationally, despite a short-lived stint on Sony Records in 2000/01. This Will Be Laughing Week, the band’s second and by far finest album was originally released on the Lawrence, KS-based Noiseome Records in 1999. When UFB were scooped up a year later by the bigwigs, the lp was retooled with slightly altered and/or remixed versions of all tracks. I am preferable to the original Noiseome version of TWBLW, and that’s what I’ve posted. There’s a bittersweet, underdog vibe that imbues this album in a way that’s indigenous to UFB, and a dizzying array of killer hooks is their not-so-secret weapon. In fact, even the most cursory listen to “Little Apple Girl,” and “Soaked in Cinnamon,” will you make an instant fanatic.

UFB capped off their lil’ career off with a third album in 2002, Open Up and Say Awesome, followed up with the Before We Spark ep a year later. Needless to say, given today's musical climate, they’re achingly missed.01-She Don't Even Know My Name02-Tell Me What You Want (I'll Be Anything)03-Of Course We Will04-Brokÿn Nëedle05-A Million Hearts06-Soaked in Cinnamon07-This Will Be Laughing Week08-Little Apple Girl09-I'm All Out of It Now10-Glitter & Glue11-Real Drums12-Perfect HairAre you ready to rock, it's not a question baby...

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

True, Robert Pollard was Guided By Voices prime-mover, Tobin Sprout's inclusion in the band's lineup (from 1992's Propeller through Under the Bushes Under the Stars in '96) often eclipsed Pollard's role of songwriter extraordinaire. It's been said Sprout was to McCartney, what Pollard was to Lennon, but nevertheless their partnership was hardly competitive. Sprout's GBV material, was typically softer and nimbler than Pollard's, and the contrast convinced some fans to champion the McCartney over the Lennon. Sprout's departure from the band after Under the Bushes, actually gave a lot of GBV listeners a plausible excuse to ignore Pollard's further adventures - that, and the fact Sprout was entrenching into an increasingly prolific solo career.

Bevil Web was Tobin Sprouts first solo venture, although he did predate GBV with a band called Figure 4. Featuring a pair of four-track, home-recorded morsels, "Minutemen," and "Lariat Man," Tobin Sprout get's his lo-fi on, and the results are brilliant. "Minutemen," owes a sizeable debt to Pollard's sonic template, but the delicate "Lariat Man," is prototypical Tobin Sprout, and was a clear harbinger of what would materialize on several solo albums, and with his offshoot band, Eyesinweasel. Tobin's music career appears to be on indefinite hiatus, with his attention presently being focused on painting.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Hagfish were by far and away my favorite band to come out of the Dallas/Ft. Worth 1990s music scene. A dapper, Brooks Brothers-donning quartet, who's relentless Ramones cum Descendent's punk-pop made an already fertile period for rock and roll that much more stimulating. Their often debaucheristic songs were all-surge, power-chord melees that you'd swear could induce whiplash, if only metaphorically.

Buick Men was the first of Hagfish's trifecta of proper albums. Release independently on the Dallas based Dragon Street Records in '93, It contained 19 blistering numbers, without a single one exceeding the three- minute mark. This cd would soon become the rarest and most coveted of all Hagfish releases, due in part to the modest national following they would garner via their second album ...Rocks Your Lame Ass. Rock's was in fact Hagfish's first and only major label offering. Roughly half of Buick Men's songs were rerecorded for this album, and were improved substantially I might add. An even better album, (self-titled) followed in 1997 on the esteemed Honest Dons label. The group is now defunct, but a handful of posthumous cds have been released. A "relapse" reunion album was supposed to surface in '04, but alas, bupkis. Just FYI, Buick Men was commanding up to $100.00 Ebay a few years. It's collectiblity may have diminished, but it's scarceness hasn't.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Special bonus for this installment of Singles Going Single. I didn't think I could do justice to Gnome by merely uploading their lone 7." Gnome were a Seattle four-piece that knocked around Seattle during the early nineties. By 1991, I had familiarized my self with all the Sub Pop bands and began investigating other Sea-Tac bands and labels. One of these labels was C/Z Records, who included on their roster Coffin Break, Skin Yard, Treepeople, and Gnome.

I took a completely "sound-unheard" chance on Gnome's debut Six-Hi Surprise Tower which I believe came in 1992. If I remember correctly, the band christened the album title after an item in a dessert/confectionery mail-order catalog. I just hope it wasn't of the fruitcake variety...anyway. C/Z positioned Gnome as "bubble-grunge." While they weren't nearly as flailing or wired as Nirvana and Soundgarden, Gnome possesed a lively sense of abandon all the same, not to mention pop-savvy. I always thought they gravitated more to the power pop, end of the spectrum, and in fact Jon Auer of the Posies shared mixing duties on the album with Phil Ek. Gnome were if anything, unique. To this day I'm still trying to discern what they owe their sound to, but I think singer/guitarist Loren Evans is the biggest part of the equation. Six-Hi... is a quietly charismatic album if there ever was one, and if you're anything like me, you won't truly sense it's brilliance until long after your initial listen.

The "13 Family" single on Blossom Records predates the album, I'm estimating by a year (no copyright date provided for either this or Six-Hi). "13 Family" is a different recording than the LP version, and I can't help but wonder if early incarnations of the album's other nine cuts are languishing in a shoebox somewhere. The b-side, "Dog Energy" is exclusive to this wax.

Gnome went onto release a second album in 1993, Fiberglass, and soon after a single, Pop Cred./Punk Sens. The band later recorded an ep titled Juicy Mommy, which never saw the light of day : ( Loren, or if anyone else related to the band reads this, please get in touch!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

This arresting little pop combo from Raleigh, NC caught me by surprise when they opened up for Superchunk at a 1993 gig in Albany, NY. Fronting the band was Dana Kletter, formally a member of the Blackgirls, whom to this day I still have to plead ignorant about. Let me be blunt. Kletter posses an amazing set of vocal chords, perfectly suited for any song she wraps them around. I'm sure Tori Amos comparisons have been leveled on more than one occasion, but I like to think of her in the same league as Jenny Toomey and Sarah Shannon.

Dish "piqued" in 1995 with the Interscope Records release of their sole full-length, Boneyard Beach, an album that failed to deliver on the promise of the Mabel Sagittarius ep and the single on Shakedown records that this post concerns. On these two short-form releases, Dish alternate between brisk piano and guitar songs, with a lucid syncopation coursing through all of them. Production by Mitch Easter meshed well with Dish's slightly left-of-center approach I might add.

The fine two cut single on the British Shakedown label is more challenging, with the b-side "And Then" winning handily over it's flip-side, "Moving Day."

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I've been waiting to upload this for a little while now, and with news regarding the upcoming Replacements reissues due this April (read about them here) I thought this would make a good appetizer. Since some of this material is going to be included as bonus tracks on the reissues, I'll will be leaving this up no later than March 31. For what it's worth, this is one of my favorite boots, Replacements or otherwise.

Boink!! was an official eight-cut mini album, released in Europe on Glass Records in 1986, containing material from the band's Twin Tone releases, and a phenomenal outtake, "Nowhere Is My Home." This bootleg, also of the same name (and sleeve) is a chronological, 72 minute smorgasbord of demos, b-sides, and outtakes. It makes for an excellent companion to their first five releases (Sorry Ma...through Tim). Among other songs, Boink!! includes a couple of choice Let It Be outtakes (namely "Who's Gonna Take Us Alive" and "Street Girl") that won't make it onto the reissue. Always a snag. The tracklist below provides all the source info.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Yet another band that I probably wouldn't have been exposed to had I not spun rekids at my college radio station. The Seattle based Deflowers' debut album, Shiny New Pony, fell into my lap right around the time this 7" was minted. The recording credits, going to none other than Kurt Bloch (Fastbacks!) should be a pretty obvious clue that these guys rawk! It's all here - vigorous punk-pop, slashing power chords, solid melodies... These three taut numbers belie a raw, raucous underbelly, and boy is it fun!

The Delowers give us a choice Lemonheads cover here, namely the relatively obscure "Uhhh," which appeared on the 'heads debut, Hate Your Friends.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

This is the follow-up album to Gary Myrick & the Figures eponymous debut from 1980. As you may know, that album spawned a minor new wave/power-pop hit in the form of “She Talks In Stereo,” still considered a classic in some small circles. As for Living In a Movie? Well, don’t judge a book by it’s cover…even if it’s cover seemingly suggests that Epic went full speed ahead and marketed Myrick as the next Rick Springfield. Hardly the case. Movie is a darker, heavier album than it’s predecessor, and depending how much you read into it, this is arguably a “concept” record. At any rate, this is his last album with The Figures. You can read more about his career here. In 1994, “She Talks In Stereo” was included on the very belated Valley Girl soundtrack, thus reviving his prominence, if only temporarily. 01. I'm Not a Number02. Penetrate My Heart03. Romance04. Died on Television05. No Violence06. Living In a Movie07. Madam B08. Tattooed On My Forehead09. My Girl (It's Simple)10. Speak Up Now11. No Crisis12. Promises, PromisesUpdate: This was recently reissued on CD. Get it from Amazon, or directly from the label that put it out, Wounded Bird Records. iTunes also has it.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Blinker the Star seemed like the prototypical band for the "post-grunge," mainstream alternative-radio format in the mid-to-late '90s, but even a deal with A&M Records didn't garner them significant attention. Front-man Jordan Zadorozny had close ties with a similar-minded band called Failure, of whom Ken Andrews produced Blinker's second album, A Bourgeois Kitten that this single's A-side is derived from. "Bluish Boy," has a wild sense of dynamics, but what really dominates the song is a string-bending, angular guitar riff, that IMHO is naggingly infectious. The flipside of this promo single is a well-executed cover of Stereolab's "Transona 5."The glittery mylar sleeve, didn't translate well with my scanner, but nevertheless...A. Bluish BoyB. Transona 5http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/XEOgvtzX/file.html

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Rarely would you find a band in late '80s Los Angeles that dipped their collective toes in their fair city's psych-revival movement and in the far more lucrative Hollywood metal scene to boot. Even rarer would you find an aggregation to pull it off with as much class and charisma as I Love You did. With roots in Florida band the Sinful Pigeons, the members made their way to the left coast to reinvent themselves as I Love You. After a handful of compilation appearances and a live ep (which I'll get to in a moment) ILY honed their chops convincingly enough to attract the bigwigs at Geffen Records, who issued their self-titled debut in the year of Nirvana, 1991. Straddling the fine line between the burgeoning alt-metal movement and their own recipe of retro-fitted rawk, the band's debut also serves as their defining moment. Chris Palmer pulls off many an impressive Morrison-esque maneuver, with Jeff Nolan liberally indulging in jammy axe solos, stopping short of a wank-fest. For it's era, I Love You's supernatural and religious references were something of an anomaly, but once this quartet's collective mojo lured you in, the pleasure wasn't the least bit guilty.On their preceding, scalding-hot live ep from 1989, ILY exude a raw, guttural panache, utterly lost in the translation to their Geffen debut. Informed by equal parts punk and psych (at this stage in their career anyway) ILY eke out a handful of bristling originals, as well as a smoldering rendition of Cream's "S.W.L.A.B.R."

In 1994, I Love You issued the dramatically different sounding All of Us, and wasn't heard from again until some reunion shows in 2007

Monday, February 11, 2008

I am fulfilling a request for Waxing Petics long out of print Manakin Moon, the band's sophomore effort. Among the originals is a squeaky clean version of Brian Eno's "Needles in the Camel's Eye." Sorry this is in 128 kbps, it was the best I could do.01. Where Your Name Is02. Ghost Writer03. Baby Jane04. Iodine05. Downstairs06. Needles in the Camel's Eye07. Side By Side Sometime08. Father Sun & Ghost09. Don't Tread on Me10. Blue Eyed Soul11. Marianne Faithfulhttp://netkups.com/?d=6311785147e1b

Sunday, February 10, 2008

This one has always been a huge personal favorite. I became acquainted with Belreve via a split single with Guided By Voices, probably around 1994. Not a power trio, so much as an anti-power trio, Columbus, Ohio's Belreve were short lived and sadly, less-than-prolific. In fact, their recorded discography boiled down to a mere seven songs! The fact that the band was spearheaded by Matt Reber of New Bomb Turks is surprisingly irrelevant given Belreve's modest by comparison motif. "Nothing," and "The Sky Is Falling," are unabashedly seeped in lo-fi, four-track goodness, brandishing feedback-ridden instruments that belie their chiming, indie guitar-pop. Belreve worked their magic by fusing sweet C86 style pop with the prevailing sound of the American indie scene of their era. And the results? Nothing less than brilliant.

These two songs were rerecorded for a seven track ep on Slumberland Records (link above), which also contains the rest of their meager output. Belreve, I barely knew ya.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

I realize I'm probably not doing anyone a huge favor by uploading this, but what the hell. To know anything about the Toronto-based The Pursuit of Happiness is to know their classic Todd Rundgren-produced debut album Love Junk. Familiarity with TPOH's invariably horny lead-man, Moe Berg, doesn't hurt either.

All five TPOH albums are recommendable on their own merits, but Love Junk represents the band at it's most inspired, with thirteen feedback-laced power pop tunes that can essentially be summed up in one word - bitchin. The I'm An Adult Now ep, released independently in Canada, houses early incarnations of some of Love Junk's most crucial selections, including their signature hit, "I'm An Adult Now." Even recording sans the auspices of Mr. Rundgren, TPOH were still vitally potent, not to mention indelibly harmonious. By and large, the fully-realized album takes are a bit superior to these, but Love Junk wasn't quite capable of reflecting this ep's version of "Ten Fingers," with it's raw, ringing chords, lovingly seeping their way into your cranium.01. I'n An Adult Now02. Killed By Love03. She's So Young04. Ten Fingershttp://www36.zippyshare.com/v/wE1eeA0o/file.html

If you can get past the somewhat frivolous album cover, you just might find Pollen's third effort to be a veritable jewel (or more appropriately, 'peach'). Pop-core bands like Gameface and All are telltale inspirations for this departed Tempe, AZ crew, even if they aren't as quick-witted as either of them. Bittersweet, without pitching themselves into full-bore emo territory, and subtle but never blunting their rigorous intensity, Pollen strike a mature, melodic-laden balance that's near-addictive.

Pollen's follow-up album, Chip, would be their last hurrah. Peach Tree was prefaced by Bluette in 1994, and Crescent in '95, both on the now extinct uber-indie label, Grass Records.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

It's really hard to believe that this single is friggin 13 years old. Before I looked at the sleeve tonight, I had always thought this came out in '97 or later, but whatever. Commandeered by one Jon Snodgrass (who has gone on to greater notoriety with his alt-country project Drag the River) Fort Collin's Armchair Martian know how to dole out pummeling power chords with punk rock ferocity, not to mention gargantuan hooks. This is their debut single. It could be perfectly sandwiched between any given Husker Du and Jawbreaker 7," but with reasonable exposure, Armchair Martian should also be embraced by the Warped Tour set. This single was followed up by three exceptional albums and some eps, but most recently, the band issued a 30-song anthology in '07 dubbed, Good Guys...Bad Band on Suburban Home. Truly bitchin stuff. Dare I say a new album is coming?A1. Barely PassingA2. I'm Not ReadyB. Xenophobe (A Car)

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

A brief album review in a 1989 issue of Circus magazine, of all places, described Dallas' Buck Pets as a cross between Guns N Roses and Mudhoney...or was it the Sex Pistols and Mudhoney? One of those two I think. Anyway, it was enough for me to run to the nearest Sam Goodys to buy their 1989 debut LP, The Buck Pets, on Island Records. They epitomized so much of what I was looking for in a great rock and roll band - some punk, a little grunge, '80s indie rock (think early Soul Asylum), but in contradiction to the aforementioned Circus review, definitely not metal. Though a little unaccomplished and rough around the edges, The Pets offered a humble charisma not dissimilar to The Replacements. And like the Replacements, they knew when to serve a scalding cup of Joe, and conversely, when to wax contemplatively. Check out their first album's "Iron Cock," and "A Little Murder," respectively to see what I mean.

That album made a huge impression on me. I can still remember how stoked I was a couple years later when I found an original nine-song Buck Pets demo tape, that served as a precursor to the album, in an alleyway record shop in Schenectady, New York. Independently released in 1987, I'm assuming this is what sealed the deal with Island Records, if only for the fact that five songs (tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, and 9) were recorded for The Buck Pets. "Some Hesitation" wound up on the second Buck Pets album, Mercurotones, and the remaining three cuts are exclusive to this tape. To get a real appreciation of these demos, hearing the first Buck Pets album at the very least would behoove you, but if this is/was your first exposure to the band it's a highly convincing introduction nonetheless.

In 1990, The Pets follow-up, Mercurotones came and went with little fanfare. Uprooted from Island shortly thereafter, their third and final album, To The Quick, surfaced in 1993 on Restless Records, and that was about it. Do yourself a favor and check out The Buck Pets fansite Worldwide Smile for historical info and links to post-Buck Pets projects, particularly those involving BP lead singer Chris Savage.01. Song for Louise Post02. Sometimes03. Other People04. Hammer Valentine05. Some Hesitation06. Perfect07. A Little Murder08. Lost09. Funny That Way

Monday, February 4, 2008

I really can't think of any other band that should be more iconicized for releasing a classic punk single than San Francisco's Nubs. I was introduced to them not via this single, but rather another single, New Bomb Turks "Stick It Out" 7" on Fat Records in '96, which included a cover of the Nubs' "Job" as a b-side. So fascinated was I by this slice of semi-narrative, anthem of defiance, I tracked down the original Nubs' single shortly thereafter for $10 from a private collector.

Fueled by a blistering guitar-line, the song's pro/antagonist not only denounces employment wholesale, but money to boot. Finally, to further demonstrate his anti-materialistic leanings, our man torches his car at song's end. Now that is punk. As for the b-side, "Little Billy's Burning," I won't give away the story, but it's almost as misanthropically fun as "Job."

I have no clue as to what quantity this record was pressed in 1980, but since it's such a highly sought collectible, it must have been a relatively small printing. The single was reissued, so to speak in 2003 as part of a self-titled Nubs CD, which also included 13 newly recorded songs from a reunited Nubs as a bonus. No longer available, the CD itself is ostensibly sought after as well.

Due to a series of recent unforseen expenses, I have been forced to put my Nubs single on the market. You can go here if you are interested (hint, hint). Please don't hate the oportunist in me! Breaks my heart to see it go, but I at least have a virtual version of it...and now you as well.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Yet another uno-single wonder that also made it onto the imitable Broken Rekids label during the '90s. The Bay Area-based Moons, featured in their lineup one Mr. Adam Pfahler, formally of Jawbreaker, on drums, but that's where the conicidences between these two bands start and end.

No intense, angst-ridden punk here my friend, merely two slices of blissful, indie-guitar pop. On the leisurley, but reflective traipse of "Stolen Days," K.C. Staubach's delivery exudes Noel Gallagher, just as much as Elliott Smith, resulting in a sublime 191 seconds. "Step Back," revels in a comparatively vigorous motif, with it's guitar-work more notably prominent than it's flipside.

As it's title should literally imply, Demolition is a rare, 19-track CD of studio demos, specifically for the Crashing Dream album, which I uploaded here last August. Crashing Dream may not have been as arresting as Rain Parade's classic debut, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, and as such, a collection of demos and outtakes for that album will only appeal to die-hard fans. That's pretty much the idea here. The demo incarnation of CD's arguably finest entry, "Mystic Green," sparkles as iridescently as the LP version, and some of Demolition's entirely unreleased outtakes, including "TV Stone," "Novacaine," and "Crashing Dream," which strangely enough never made it onto the album proper, are worthwhile curoios...but once again, for fans only. 01. Sad Eyes Kill02. Mystic Green03. Shoot Down the Railroad Man04. My Secret Country05. Invisible People06. Only Business07. Crashing Dream08. Depending On You09. Gone West10. My Dog's Last Dream11. Tranquility Base12. The Sniper13. Murder Boy14. Got the Fear15. TV Stone16. Undermine17. Novacaine18. Power19. Every Morning Doeshttp://www6.zippyshare.com/v/L4doYkNH/file.html